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09

Oct 12

We’ll cope without our star players: van Jaarsveld

Titans captain and coach are confident that young players will step up at CLT20

This edition of the CLT20 is a special one
for the Titans. They qualified for the 2008 season, which eventually got
cancelled and now they have a chance to make a mark on this tournament with the
advantage of playing in home conditions.

Despite losing out on some of their star
players – Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel and Faf du Plessis – to their respective
IPL teams and AB de Villiers to lower back and ankle injuries the Titans are
determined to make the most of this opportunity.

“From our point of view, we’re used to
playing without our star players when they play at the international level and
we’ve managed to do well without them,” Mathew Maynard, the Titans coach, said.
“We’ve got to show the same resolve
right through this tournament as well. It’s important that the players we have
play to their potential.”

The stars may be missing but according to
captain Martin van Jaarsveld, there’s still a lot of quality in the side. van
Jaarsveld especially singled out young all-rounder David Wiese as the one to
watch out for, even foreseeing him developing in the mould of Albie Morkel.

“David Wiese is a fantastic all-rounder and
we’re nursing him to one day step up to Albie Morkel’s level. He bowls at a
decent pace and can hit a real long ball. He probably stands out for us,” the
skipper said.

One aspect that sets the Titans apart from
most teams in the competition is the number of all-rounders in the team, led by
the very experienced Roelof van der Merwe. The captain surely believes this is
an ace up his sleeve.

“As a captain it’s good to have so many
all-rounders in the team. As a captain when you look around the field, there
are so many options that you see, which is what you want in T20.”

In the absence of de Villiers, van
Jaarsveld has to rethink of the right balance in the team and one option is
promoting van der Merwe up the batting order.

“We’re still weighing out our combinations
– whether to use him at the top of the order or he’s going to be more valuable
down the order. If he comes up and gets 70-plus, you know you have great chance
of winning the game. He was really effective with the ball last summer up front
and at the death.”

Despite the standard of cricket going
several notches higher in the CLT20, coach Maynard believes the right way ahead
for the Titans is not to alter their game too much and stick to the formula
that has made the Titans a successful team at the domestic level. “It’s
important that we play the brand of cricket that’s synonymous with the Titans
and that’s aggressive cricket. Within that, we also have to be disciplined in
our approach,” the coach said.

While speaking of his young team, Maynard
also acknowledged the massive impact playing in a tournament like CLT20 can
have on their careers.

“The exposure of CLT20 is excellent for all
the teams. It is a competition that all domestic teams want to be part of, not
just because of the revenue but also the exposure that they get here playing at
a huge stage and through television.”

For the 38-year-old van Jaarsveld, whose international
career couldn’t stretch beyond nine Tests and 11 ODIs, CLT20 is an opportunity
to still compete at the highest level against the best in the business.

“This is the closest I’m ever going to get
to a similar type of competition like the IPL. For me at this age to still go
out there and play against some of the best players in the world is a great
challenge and I’m sure there are a lot of guys in our team who feel the same.
This is our time at the international stage and we’re really looking forward to
it.”

Open Questions

Who is the better T20 bowler?

Pulse connects you to the live action

Get closer to CLT20 this season by using Pulse while you watch the LIVE matches. Pulse asks you a range of questions relevant to the LIVE action as it unfolds. Your votes will be featured in the telecast in real-time and debated by the commentators, players and stars.